Several hundred Oceanside residents — cold, angry and still without power — gathered at School 8 the morning of Nov. 9 to voice, and often shout, their disapproval with the efforts of the Long Island Power Authority and local politicians since Hurricane Sandy devastated their community.

The press conference-turned-rally, organized by Oceanside School District leaders, was held outside one of the district’s hardest-hit schools and served as yet another reminder of the travails residents have faced without electricity in what many of them have described as the “forgotten town.”

Superintendent Dr. Herb Brown began by explaining how the district and the Oceanside Community Service organization had helped residents. Oceanside High School football players carried flood-destroyed furniture out of homes, Brown said, while principals and teachers knocked on doors to say hello to district children and students, staff and PTA members prepared hot meals for residents at the high school.

“Our community has come together as it always does, in an amazing show of community spirit,” Brown said. “This is a disaster beyond the scope of anything our community has ever dealt with. Families are suffering in cold, dark homes. It’s impossible to care for children in these circumstances.”

Brown and Board of Education trustees Sandy Schoell and Bob Transom told residents that schools would reopen for the district’s 6,000 students on Nov. 13, three with electricity restored and others powered by generators.

As she stepped to the lectern, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray was greeted with a chorus of boos, though the focus of the crowd’s anger quickly shifted when Murray began a chant of “Where is LIPA?”

“They won’t talk to us,” Murray said of the utility, echoing the complaints of so many residents. “LIPA has absolutely abrogated all of its duties. They should be wiped off the face of the earth after this.”

Murray described a discussion she had with LIPA’s chief operating officer, Michael Hervey, saying that when she asked him whether residents south of Merrick Road needed electricians to inspect their homes, he responded that he could not answer. (Hervey resigned on Tuesday.)

Comments

FOUR(4) Town of Hempstead dump trucks and a payloader came into my neighborhood, all having KATE MURRAY's name on the side of them. They cleared a tree in the road and pushed all the debris to the side taking NONE OF IT!!! Eight guys, and only TWO(2) chainsaws. One supervised, two cut the tree, and the others WATCHED!!!

This is standard practice in the Town of Hempstead. Dump trucks, regardless of the need, regularly patrol the streets looking for debris.

In another month the dump trucks will have their salt hoppers installed and will be patrolling the streets looking for debris. I have told Supervisor Kate Murray about this wasteful practice for the last 3 years, yet it still continues.

I own 3 homes in Long Beach and Lido Beach . One home in Long Beach got destroyed by the flood. That electric was turned on the other day with out any inspections. My other property in Long Beach also got electric without any inspection. My property (Home) in Lido still has no power and we never had even an inch of water. We left a note on our door telling the inspector this and also leaving our phone numbers. We are freezing and I have tried calling every possible number for TOH Lipa and the electric co with no luck. Please turn on our power. This is insane that we have been in the dark and cold for 2 weeks now.

No one knows what the other one is doing. Are they just randomly choosing homes to inspect? It doesn't seem to matter if you are home or not. I have never seen such mismanagement in my life. Learn from Fl They go through this often. Learn from Latrina. Learn Organize and GET THE DAM POWER BACK ON